Document 9: Index of Public Acceptance

Read the copy of the Index of Public Acceptance document and respond in complete sentences to the questions.

1.  What is the source of this document?

2.  What is its purpose?

3.  When was it produced?

4.  According to the document, why did the magazine Electrical Merchandising use the term            “acceptance” instead of the term “saturation”? What appliances on the chart do you have in your      home?

5.  What electrical appliances do you have at home that have been invented since this document?

6.  Which items mentioned in the article are not found in your home? Why?

7.  Which appliance did more homes have? Why?

8.  Which appliance did the least number of homes have? Why do you think this appliance never

     became popular?

9.  What invention has replaced the percolator in the modern home? Why?

10.  Design a bar graph comparing the number of irons, washers, refrigerators, toasters, and cleaners

      in homes in 1940.

11.  In 1923, the least expensive refrigerator was priced at $450. The average worker received an  annual pay of $2000. What percentage of an annual wage was the cost of a refrigerator?

Document 9 Overview: Index of Public Acceptance

In January 1940 Electrical Merchandising magazine used a pictograph to indicate the number of

households with selected appliances compared to those without. While the worksheet explores this document primarily as a mathematics exercise, it is also interesting to note and discuss the subtle messages relayed by the cartoon images in the pictograph.

Disciplines:

         Mathematics, Social Studies, Language Arts, Science

Grade Levels:

          6-12

Materials Needed:

          Copies of Index of Public Acceptance document

          Worksheet

          Pens

          Graph of drawing paper

Learning Objectives:

          1. To read and analyze a document.

          2. To learn to interpret and use information from a historical document.

          3. To learn to design a graph.

Procedure:

          1. Distribute the Index of Public Acceptance document.

          2. Distribute worksheets.

          3. Distribute graph paper of drawing paper.

          4. Have the students read the document and complete the worksheet.

          5. Discuss the completed worksheets.